


Fear's Worth

by AndrewJohnston



Category: Inside Out (2015)
Genre: Comfort, Fear is a real friend, Gen, Hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2019-09-13 15:58:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16895652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AndrewJohnston/pseuds/AndrewJohnston
Summary: You need comforting? Sadness is your go-to gal. But even she doesn't know what to do when someone is scared. Good thing there is someone for that too. Or 4 examples when Fear was needed and 1, where Fear needed them.





	1. The Meaning of Sadness

Riley is six years old. And it may seem like that I don't like her, but I really do. I just express my love towards her before Joy stops me. I understand. Riley needs to be happy, and I only make her unhappy.

It's rare that I have a say in things, but I got used to it. Especially after Fear, Disgust and Anger started living here. I like them too, but I'm not sure they like me.

That's okay. At least they are not mean about. Joy isn't mean about it either, she is very nice about it actually. She always tries to give me tasks, which usually means I have to read the Mind Manuals. Which are far away from the console.

I like to read them, they are interesting.

I am Sadness.

Today was a happy day for Riley. The memory shelves are filled with pretty yellow memory orbs. This is good. This means that Riley had a _very_ happy day. And if Riley had a good day, so did we all.

I guess.

I look up from the Mind Manual about the mechanisms of the Recall Tubes, and I see Riley going to sleep. This is good. Riley had an exhausting day too, so she needed sleep.

Good night Riley.

''Good job everyone!" cheers Joy as she sends the memories to the Long Term. ''Another day filled with sunshine and happiness! Anger, nice intervention there, it really was unfair to Riley how Mom tried to take the gummy bears away."

The brick-like emotion grunted. ''If dad tells us that we can have that after some normal meal, then we _will_ have them after a normal meal."

I can understand him. That sounded unfair. Anger is really good at that.

''Exactly." continued Joy, while turning to Disgust ''On a second thought, that bug looked _really_ nasty and I'm not sure that it was even friendly either, so nice save here."

Disgust smirked in satisfaction. ''Just doing my job.''

Again, can't disagree. I think that bug could have bitten us, but I don't think that Fear wants to hear it.

Speaking of him…

''Fear! _You_ were the star of today! Riley could have gotten _sooo many_ bruises at the playground, but you were on the top of your game and our girl went to sleep better than ever!" Joy actually clapped there, and I joined her, albeit with less enthusiasm. He really was good today, even compared to his normal performance.

Fear, for his part, looked really bashful upon hearing the applause. He was nervous too, but I think it's normal behaviour for him. He is fear itself after all.

''Oh come on Joy, don't make me blush. I wasn't _that_ good."

He was kind of adorable in situations like these. I like that about him.

Joy laughed at Fear's shyness and then turned towards me. Do I get a praise too? I didn't do anything…

''Sadness, how many manuals have you read today?" asked Joy, suddenly looking quite tired.

''Erm… four?" I asked uncertainly.

''Great! Keep doing that, you are doing a tremendous job!" Joy complimented me before yawning widely and then slumping her body. ''Could you take care of Dream Duty tonight? I really don't feel up for it."

''But…" _I was doing Dream duty last night too…_

''Oh, thank you! Sadness, I am forever in your debt." and with that, she began making her way towards the beds, leaving me there behind…

Alone…

…

_sigh_

It kind of hurts. I know that nobody knows what my purpose is here, but I don't like feeling neglected. It's… sad. Very sad.

I guess I'm on Dream Duty again. I like Dream Duty, but I like sleep too. I guess I'll sleep next night. Hopefully.

I make my way towards the window where I can see the personality islands. I agree with Joy, they are nice. They make Riley, _Riley._ I don't really have a favorite, but it's okay. Happiness was never my strength, and it's okay too. Nobody wants a sad Riley, we want a happy one.

But…

It would be nice to know at least why I'm here. A purpose, you could say. I want to do something for Riley, that would make her happy.

I don't know if it's possible though…

''Sadness?"

I turn around quickly and only then realize two things: One, I began to silently cry in the time I was watching the personality islands, and two…

Fear has never gone to bed.

''You okay?" he asks worriedly as I try to dry my tears.

''Y-yes, yes I am. What are you doing here?" I ask timidly.

''I could ask the same thing. Isn't… isn't Joy on Dream Duty tonight?" he asks hesitantly, stepping closer to me.

''She asked me t-to take her place because she was tired."

''And you agreed?" Fear asked, arriving in front of me.

''I… I guess I did. Not like I had any choice though…"

He looks at me with that calculating gaze and I suddenly feel self-conscious. It's like he is searching for something on my face.

''Wait… weren't you on Dream Duty last night?" he asks.

I could only nod without making eye contact. The next thing I hear is a sigh and, to my great surprise, I feel his arms embrace me into a hug.

''And why are you crying?"

I sniff and accept the hug. I needed it. ''I don't know."

It's a lame answer but it's the truth. Sometimes I just cry without any reason. There is a small silence where we keep hugging. It feels nice. Nobody has ever hugged me. Why is he doing it now though?

''Listen…" he says as we end the hug. I look at him curiously.

''How about you go to bed. I'll take over Dream Duty tonight, okay?" he asks softly with a small smile and I feel tears coming again.

''But Joy said-"

''I know what Joy said, and…" he sighs tiredly ''…And I agree on a lot of things with her, but not on the way she or the others treat you." he says in a sad way.

I have never seen any other emotion this sad, I thought it was only my thing.

''And I know that I have been treating you the same and… I feel awful. I'm sorry."

I cannot form an answer to that. Maybe because everything he said was kind of unexpected and… nice. I thought I would spend the rest of my sad life being in the corner and almost getting no part in Riley's life. I was ready to accept that even, but hearing Fear apologize and admit his wrong…

It felt nice. Really nice.

But…

''Why are you saying this?" I ask him with hopeful eyes. I didn't even notice that he began drying up my newly formed tears with that handkerchief of his, until he stopped swiping and looked at me.

''Easy. Because it's my job to protect you and your well-being. Even if I'm not the most qualified for the job. Plus…" he began scratching the back of his head nervously. ''… I have never been one to ignore problems, which is still kind of my job, you know, to pay attention to problems, though most of them are usually lethal, but someone has to pay attention those, right?" he asks with an awkward chuckle and I am even more confused.

''Your job is to protect me? I thought it was to keep Riley from any harm." I ask quietly and he smiles.

''It is. But the others often forget that I am responsible for Riley's well-being too."

I raise an eyebrow.

''Isn't that the same thing?"

''Kind of, but by well-being I mean like her happiness."

I still don't understand. Isn't happiness Joy's job?

''Okay, I admit that sounded confusing." he chuckles as he puts away his handkerchief. ''What I meant is that my purpose is to keep Riley, and everything that makes her happy or helps pave the way to happiness, safe. This includes the safety of Joy, Anger, Disgust and yours too." he says, and I can only look at him in awe.

He sounded just like Dad did.

''But I don't make her happy…"

''Well, not yet at least. Me, Joy, Anger, Disgust, all of us have a part in Riley's happiness. I don't know which part of it is yours, but I'm sure you have one. And since you _do_ have one, you are under good ol' Fear's care. Understood?"

I did.

He was ready when I suddenly hugged him tightly, as he hugged back too. I was crying for a third time tonight, wetting his frail body and clothes with tears. I felt him lean in to whisper.

''I know that you are afraid that you have no purpose here, but don't worry. You will find it sooner or later." then he chuckled good-heartedly and hugged me even tighter.

I was smiling too. It felt also very nice.

''Now go, sleep. You deserve it."

From that day, Fear was a real friend of mine. He tried to use my help at the console as much as he could, much to the confusion of others. We talked, even joked sometimes. I even helped him calm down when he was panicking. I listened to his problems, and he did to mines too.

I still didn't know for a long time why I was part of the Head Quarters, but I knew that I will find the answer. Especially with an understanding friend as Fear.

In the end, only Fear itself could understand my fear of purposelessness.


	2. The Perfection of Disgust

Okay, let me start off first that if you dare wearing blue and brown together, don't come near me. Seriously.

You don't? Okay. Do you have any green food around you that is not either a pickle, kiwi or apple?

No? Huh, okay. _Now_ , we can talk.

I'm Disgust, and my job is… complicated. I mean, it's not really, only saying _what_ my job is problematic. While Fear keeps Riley safe, Joy keeps Riley happy, Anger keeps things fair to Riley, Sadness… well, I don't know what she does but explaining it is sure easier than _my_ job. They often say that I keep Riley from 'being poisoned physically and socially', which is good enough I guess, but that doesn't cover everything. I mean, I'm sure that Broccoli is not poisinous at all, but still, get it away from me or _else_.

Sorry if I sound spontaneous and whining, but I've been having a lot on my head these days.

It all started when Riley got her first flu. I swear to good, seeing all those _things_ leaving Riley made me so shocked that I didn't leave my room for _days_. The others thought that I was away because I couldn't handle all those hideous… _scenes_ (so did I, at first), but I realized later that the thing keeping me from stepping up to the console was the fact that I technically failed my job. She isn't poisioned, true, but she may as well be. She certainly looked dead for the first couple of days.

Point is, I failed my job. It felt awful, more awful than accidently swallowing the fat on a steak, and I really really really, _really_ hatethat. Yuck. And now, I'm here, in my room, sitting in front of my mirror, looking at my tired, plain face, dishevelled hair, wrinkled clothes and those enormous bags under my eyes. Seriously, they often told me I look like a Broccoli, but for once I can attest to the fact that the green spawn of hell looks like a cute, trendy outfit compared to my hobo look.

Now you know how serious the deal is.

The others tried to help, and I appreciate it and all, but none of them could understand. I mean just look at their choice of clothes. Joy's skirt _is_ cute, but it was clearly a fluke as she manages to always choose the ugliest outfits for Riley. Sadness' jumper is I guess good for soaking up tears, not much else. Anger's is plain boring and Fear looks like he wants to be a Teddy bear. Not one I would cuddle with, that's for sure.

They don't know what it's like to be constantly perfect.

But now… I have no words.

I don't know what to do. Seriously, I love Riley just as much as the others, but none of them managed to mess up their responsibilities as much as I did. I cannot look at the console anymore without feeling guilty.

Am I being too hard on myself?

Before I could dwell on that, I heard the door to my room open, and I immediatelly covered myself in a blanket. No way anyone is going to see me like this.

''Disgust…?"

Great, it's Fear. At least he is not the type to tease others and I can scare him away easily.

''What?" I ask. I still can't see him because of the blanket but I definitely heard a gulp.

''Just that… Riley is okay now and we would like to keep her like this, and… you are needed for that."

I scoff.

''Isn't keeping her okay _your job_." I could seriously be nicer to him, but I just don't have enough strength to summon any niceness now.

''Yeah, it is… but I don't know what is healthy for Riley and what is not. At least not as much as you do."

Oh, why did I even think he, out of all the emotions, would understand my situation.

''Yeah." I began sarcastically ''And what a tremendious job I did." I hope that he got the memo that I'm not in the mood right now to mess up Riley again.

All the others would have gotten it at least, but not innocent little Fear. He just kept pushing.

''Y-you didn't do anything wrong." he says, sounding quite hesitant. He expects me to believe that?!

I sighed and decided to reveal my face. He wouldn't tease me and I probably look hideous enough to scare him away.

''Listen Fear, I don't know if you or any of the others realized it, but I'm not in the mood to do my job. And as you can see, I don't look _prepared_ for the job." I told him.

I would have expected him to at least be shocked or whatever, but he looked at me with concern and sympathy. Gee, I didn't know that Sadness got a wardrobe change recently, though I was in my room for so long, it wouldn't even surprise me.

''Disgust… have you slept recently?" he asked and damnit, I just couldn't keep up this annoyed facade while he was using _that_ face and _that_ tone.

''No… Not really." Great, now _I_ sound crestfallen. It seems that I have lost all control over my image.

''You didn't sleep… because you thought you failed." he guessed.

Okay, so I will give him _some_ credit for figuring out the actual reason for my hiding. I would have thought Sadness would be the first, she is surprisingly perspective if you listen to her.

''Yes." was my only answer. I don't like feeling powerless, it makes me look anything but cool and collected, but at this point I was so gone, I just let Fear decide on the next course of action.

''You didn't do anything wrong." he dared to repeat and I clicked my tongue in annoyance.

''Erm, yes I did. I-'' but he cut me off.

''You may have made a mistake but you didn't do anything _wrong_." he said, making me look at him in confusion.

When he saw that he got my undivided attention, he sighed.

''Disgust… if we all did our job perfectly, Riley would be always happy, she would always stand up for her own good and she would avoid every risky situation. But she doesn't. And you know why?"

No I didn't.

''Why?"

''Because, by your logic, we all fail in our jobs. Joy can't keep Riley happy forever, I cannot keep her safe at all times and there will be times where something will make Riley angry but she won't be able to speak up for herself. The reason for all these is because life… just doesn't go that way." he sighed and stepped in front of me.

Next thing I know is that he took my blanket and neatly folded it on my bed while i watched him and digested his words.

_Life… just doesn't go that way._

What did he mean?

''Sometimes…" he began as he sat on my bed with his hands fidgeting ''…you need to experience failure to appreciate normalcy. And sometimes, you need to be put down so you can get up once again."

''Even if it is the hardest flu she will probably get for the rest of her life?" I snarked back. He actually snickered.

''Even if it is. Think about it; next time, she would know what to expect, so will her parents, and most importantly: you." he continued, emphasizing the last word pretty heavily.

''But I wasn't there. I don't know 'what to expect'." Great, now I feel bad for not being there for Riley. Which, to be frank, I should. I technically _did_ abandon her.

The purple emotion chuckled nervously.

''About that… I may have made a list of sympthons and put them in chronological order, so the next time the flu comes, we all would be prepared. Maybe… you could study that?" he asked.

I smiled, the first in a long time. ''Yeah… that could work."

A small silence decended on us as I thought over what he said. Need to feel failure to appreciate normalcy? To be put down to get up again? These all sounded noble and probably true…

''But what would the others think now that I messed up?" I asked, which got a snort as a reply.

''The others are madly worried about you, even Anger. I don't think anyone would care about your 'failure' if you went down now, but…" said Fear as he stood up, went over to my makeup set that hasn't been touched in a long time, and brought it in front of me and my mirror.

I was honestly surprised he had the guts to touch that, considering that I have emphasized numerous amounts of times that no one can come close to my makeup set. I didn't mind though this time.

''But I know that you wouldn't be caught dead looking like this, not prepared for the job and all, sooo…" he trailed of as I looked at myself in the mirror.

And oh. my. god. I looked even more hideous than I remembered.

I was about to began fixing this ugly circle I dare calling my face, but Fear stopped me in my tracks and looked at me with a smile.

''Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Riley and we will love you no matter what. You are family, Disgust." and with that he left. I could only look after him in surprise.

Ever since then, I looked just as trendy and pretty as I always did, and resumed my job at keeping Riley 'healthy both physically and socially' (yes, this covers what I do much better than the other one). Fear was right, the others actually were pretty happy that I came back, and you know that it's true when Sadness wears a genuine smile. That sweater of hers still looks weird, but I guess she makes it cute, if she smiles that is.

Riley has gotten many illnesses ever since, but I stood my ground and helped her through it. No matter how disgusting the sypmthons were, I was always there, holding her hand (metaphorically of course). And you know what, Fear was right. After every sickness Riley got, the better we treated it the next time it came. We tripped, then stood up and continued walking stronger than before. I realized how petty I was and I vowed to never leavy my girl alone. I could thank Fear for that.

In the end, only Fear itself could understand my fear of failure.


	3. The Peace of Joy

**Chapter 3 - The Peace of Joy**

''Joy, I like you and all, but this is a horrible idea."

''I have to agree with Disgust here. We could get another breakdown or even a panic attack too! H-how about we fake tiredness and let Mom handle it?"

''It is obviously just a cover-up story to spend more time with Mom. Why does she think we are too stupid to see through her?"

''Those boxes are full of memories from Minnesota… Riley will be sad to see them…"

_sigh_

Sometimes, I wished that my co-workers were a _little_ more positive.

I'm Joy, I'm Riley's lead emotion, which may be the reason why everyone knows her as a happy girl with a smile on her face! I'm kind of big deal around here, not to brag or anything. Before you think that I'm some kind of self-centered bad guy, don't worry; I have learned to respect everyone and let them drive when they feel like they are needed. In the past, I always thrived for Riley to be always happy as, logically, it made sense to me; everyone wants to be happy. Sadly, I didn't realize that the others' job had the same goal as mine, just not as straightforward: While I directly put a smile on our girl's face, the rest is making sure that nothing can stand in the way of that smile.

And that's exactly what I failed to realize for a long time.

Back to the present, the van with all of our furniture and other stuff has finally found its way to San Francisco and Riley, Mom and Dad are in the process of unpacking things. While dad and the movers handle the heavy-lifting, Riley and Mom unpack the smaller boxes.

This little _debate_ we have is about the fact that Riley agreed to put the old pictures and important papers away into the basement. The others here don't really like the idea, and I can kind of see where they are coming from; in the end, these will be our memories of Minnesota, and the whole 'running away' incident was still fresh in everyone's mind.

I believe though that our girl needs to face the whole 'missing home' deal and accept that a new life with new possibilities has started. The old Joy would probably wave their worries off and make sure that nobody else touches the console. This Joy, on the other hand, will not, so I'll try to persuade them to see my way instead.

''Oh, come on guys! This is a perfect opportunity to show mom that we are a big girl and we can move on as adults do! That's what we want, right?" I tried to persuade them with a bright smile. They seemed to be reluctant to accept my encouraging words, but I'm not giving up.

''Look, I know that the recent events are still fresh in our minds,'' I began as I looked at all four of them with the same smile. ''But Riley has to overcome this. And the best way to do this is to tackle it face-to-face. Mom and Dad would be proud of us too, since as Anger said," I motioned towards the red emotion with my hands ''Mom definitely planned this, so she must want us to face it too. Mom has never been wrong before, right?"

''Well, there was this one time-''

''It's a rhetorical question, don't answer it." I quickly cut Sadness off, and sigh."Point is, we cannot run away from it forever or treat it like it has never happened. We are doing it for Riley's own good."

''Are you with me then?" I asked, trying to spawn an encouraging smile on my face. I saw them momentarily share a look of doubt before they picked up a smile and began nodding along.

''Sure."

''Sounds reasonable."

''Mom always knows what to do."

''I personally like the idea of mom being proud at us."

_Got them._ I thought triumphantly.

With that, they began working as Riley's mom rounded the corner with the last box and began making a conversation with her daughter. I had the urge again to drive the console, but Riley doesn't need to be happy right now.

At least I think…

Does Riley really need to be happy now? Sadness did have a solid point; there would be nothing happy or joyful about the next minutes. It will be all about reminiscing about the old times and how happy it was. Which, even though it sounds contradictory and ironic, is a sad thing.

''Okay sweetie," Mom's voice gained our attention, as she appeared on the stairs with the last of the boxes. ''Could you please start opening the boxes? Be mindful of the ones that have 'FRAGILE' on them, okay?"

''Sure." shrugs Riley and I can hear Disgust mumble of how tedious this will be.

So we start our new duty, and honestly, I'm inclined to agree with Disgust here; it _is_ kinda boring. The first few boxes were filled with important documents that had words on them I didn't even know were possible to create. There were also pictures of Mom and Dad from when they were younger and I couldn't help but coo at the sight of a baby picture of dad. Who knew that for such a tough guy, he was a beaming little baby too once.

After the first few boxes came the real deal; our stuff! Granted, there were some boring documents under our name too, but that was kind of a necessary evil. Point is, most of it was definitely the cool stuff.

''Hold on." says Disgust, as she controls Riley's attention to something pink and plushie-like at the bottom of a box. Curious, our girl reaches inside and starts to pull the thing out and then-

Oh no…

''Would you look at that, didn't we lost this toy way back?" Disgust asks while Riley herself is inspecting the old plush.

No no no no, please…

''Yeah, Riley was crying for days after that, it was her favorite." answered Sadness, her mood instantly worsening at the memory of _that_ time.

Why do you have to haunt me like that? Please…

''I think we should keep away from it, it must have gathered so much dust that one breath and we could _suffocate_!" Fear exclaimed, his pitch of voice raising slightly as he made Riley keep the plush toy at an arms-length.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, _I'm sorry…_

''No one as ever died from inhaling too much dust, so stop your jabbering!"

Bing-Bong…

Indeed, it was a plush of the loveable cat-elephant-dolphin mix that was a gift from one of Dad's tailor relatives, who specialized in making toys just like this. Riley really, really, _really_ loved this toy, and as mentioned before, she was absolutely devastated for a long time. It was one of those times when I just couldn't find the strength to step up to the control panel as I was mourning too.

But that's back in the past right? Our girl has grown, so did I, so seeing an old, dusty plush shouldn't affect me at all, right?

_Right?_

…

''…Joy?"

Sadness' question pulled me back into reality as I now noticed that all my friends were looking at me with varying amounts of worry. I also noticed that I had stepped back from the panel and was hugging myself. I was also on the verge of tears, so there is that…

''I'm… I'm okay…" I inhaled quickly, untangled my limbs, quickly dried away my tears and recomposed myself. It is not the time to remember the loss of a friend, mom gave us a task and we have to finish it.

''Are you-'' started asking Sadness, but I managed the biggest smile I could do at the moment and cut her off.

''Really, it's alright, it's just a plush. We should continue." I said with a shake of my hand as I stepped back up to the panel and, albeit hesitantly, made Riley put the toy down focus on the box filled with stuff from her old room.

But I knew that I was lying to myself. For the rest of the unpacking, I just couldn't take control again, not even when Riley found her old Jokebook that has always made her laugh. Every time I felt the urge, I noticed the pink toy laying on the ground and I just _couldn't…_

Not with the guilt.

Of course, I wasn't oblivious to the curious and worried glances I received. I can just imagine how unhappy I looked. I would be worried about the others too if they suddenly started acting opposite of how they were supposed to act.

''Riley!" came Dad's voice from upstairs. The girl in question looked up and saw his dad and mom descend the stairs.

''How are you holding up?"

Disgust shrugged and made Riley mimic her.

''I'm doing fine. How is the furniture doing?"

''Oh, they were a handful, alright, but nothing serious. The stairs gave us quite a challenge but your smart mother here found a solution for that too." Dad said with a proud smile.

Mom rolled her eyes.

''Having a common sense and not trying to _turn_ with a table twice as big as the actual turn is not being smart, but whatever floats your boat darling."

''Hey!"

The Headquarters were filled with giggles and guffaws. It was always fun to watch mom and dad bickering, I missed it dearly. Ever since the move became inevitable, they focused on the process going smoothly and I was a little bit afraid they wouldn't return to these playful banters. Thankfully, my worries were unneeded as right after the day of running away, they were at it again. Whether it was for Riley to gain back some familiarity and lessen her homesickness or not, it was still relieving to see.

Before mom could give a sassy response to dad's outcry, they suddenly just… stopped… and turned their heads towards us. They seemed confused and perplexed, and I realized that Riley would always at least smile at their antics (I made sure), but now she was just being silent and apathetic. I also noticed 4 sets of eyes looking at my every move, waiting for me to do what I always do. I raised my hand and was about to pull the lever that would have made Riley smile, but my hand stopped before it could touch the panel. I watched as my unmoving hand was frozen midair. I willed it to do as I wanted, but I knew that I just couldn't.

Not while _that_ was around, reminding me of the mistakes I did.

Thankfully, mother noticed the toy and her face instantly brightened with recognition.

''Hey, isn't that the toy your uncle made for Riley's sixth birthday?" she said as she picked up the plush.

''The one that was lost? Man, uncle was grumpy for months after it disappeared." added dad while shaking his head with a smile.

''Joy."

I got spooked when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I whipped my head to the side and saw that it was Fear giving me the tiniest of reassuring smiles. I wanted to smile back at him, just so at least I could give an impression that I'm alright and not having the biggest inner battle in the history of inner battles.

''I can assure you, if Riley knew just to what lengths you've gone for her to be the happiest girl in the planet, she would immediately forgive you."

He said it with such confidence, of which I have never seen him show before. Yet he was radiating compassion and warmth at the same time, and out of the dozens of replies I could have retorted with, I could only manage a very weak:

''W-what?"

''I'm not gonna lie, what happened that day was… _mostly_ your fault, but you just assume that you are not worthy of being in control since you made a mistake. But tell me, do you think Riley would want you out of her life?"

''I-''

''Or do you think Bing Bong sacrificed himself without having the utmost confidence that you would continue making her happy?"

My shoulders sagged as I continued gaping at him while on the inside, the battle intensified. My guilt was fighting very hard to achieve victory.

''Hey Riley…" came Dad's voice, distracting us from the current situation. Riley's parents were standing side-by-side with mom having the Bing Bong plushie in her hands, facing me with those big fake eyes filled with excitement that made my heart clench.

''I and your mother were thinking… after we've finished putting everything into place…" he seemed to share a hesitative glance with mom before looking back at us. ''…Would you want to go to an amusement park then? To celebrate moving?"

I don't know why, but my first instinct was to look at that pink bundle of happiness in mother's arms.

'' _Take her to the moon for me, okay?"_

I turn my head and look at Fear's knowing and encouraging eyes, filling me with a newfound determination. If Bing Bong trusted me to keep on his legacy, then it's time for me to carry out that promise, even if the top of one of those big wheels will be the closest I could get Riley to that moon.

But hey, every progress is great progress, isn't it?

I feel my hands unfroze as I push that lever it has been hovering above for minutes (they are kinda sore now, but I just couldn't care at the moment.) Then, with vigor, I start to get to work, and I can feel the biggest smile I've ever managed widening on my face.

On the outside, dad and mom only see their little girl, who has been strangely sad looking today, suddenly have her eyes spark up in excitement before she starts whooping in joy and tackle her parents into a big, dusty, group hug. On the inside, I do the same thing with Fear and the closest other emotion (who happened to be Disgust, much to her chagrin).

And suddenly, all is well and right.


	4. The Leavelheadedness of Anger

**Chapter 4 The Levelheadedness of Anger**

''Enemy skater incoming at 8 o'clock!"

''And it's the same one!"

''Oh, she will get it." I said and made Riley grip her racket in her hand in annoyance. That player was seriously asking for it.

Our girl has just received pluck from her teammate and she was about to pass it forward, when the opposing team's number 40 player, 'Jensen' was already on her. It wouldn't have been a problem usually, except for the fact that this Jensen was a literal nightmare for Riley ever since the match began.

I'm Anger. I make sure that Riley is treated fairly, and if not, not only will I blow up, but so will Riley. You could say that I have 'anger issues', but it's like saying Joy has joy issues… which, on second thought, is kinda true. And this Jensen kid is seriously oblivious of just how hard she is shaking the punch tree with both hands.

I pressed a button and Riley was about to break out from her clutches, but our dear _Stinksen_ has decided to keep being the stone in our shoes and aggressively pushed our girl to the side of the rink with her right hand, making Riley lose her balance and fall over face first.

And, much to our outrage, the referees _didn't think it was a fault_ and let the game continue.

''Oh come on!"

''Are these seriously _blind_?!"

''I start to believe we are the victims of a _very obvious_ bribing case."

_Oh_ , you know that something is wrong when even Joy, Fear and Sadness wear those displeased frowns on their faces. It would have warmed my heart, had it not been for the fact that I was literally and figuratively fuming.

No, seriously, Jensen will learn her lesson soon, and nobody can stop me or Riley.

With a hard smash on the perfect button, Riley recovered quickly and skated back to their third of the rink, a devious plan on her mind. The pluck was soon ours again after a teammate has intercepted a very wide pass, and we were back to attacking. Jensen, damn her and everything she stands for, was already in our tail and I could have sworn I saw an evil smile on her face, that my fellow colleagues were nice enough to point out.

Jensen never saw it coming.

The moment she was about to push us again, Riley used all her might and gave the annoying girl a well-deserved punch, making her tumble backward while holding her face. The helmet, sadly, blocked the hit, but it had enough force so Jensen will feel it for _days_.

Oh, but the shock on her face was _sooo_ worth the 4-minute penalty Riley got for this move of hers! I made sure that she sent a mocking smile towards little miss Jensen, who seemed to be a little wobbly on her feet these days.

I was laughing boisterously. Joy has scolded me for this move, but I could see that she was fighting a satisfied smile as she did so.

We were reminiscing about that glorious punch, not caring for once about the fact that our team, being one very important man down, has managed to eat two goals. I wasn't worried, Riley would surely bring it back, especially now that Jensen was still being tended too. Turns out, Riley _really_ packs a punch.

No one could stand in our girls way. Or so we thought.

''Andersen! One more like this and you are out for the season.'' shouted the coach with a menacing scowl on his face as Riley has just put a blade on the ice.

Hearing the coach's ultimatum made every one of us freeze in their tracks. Riley is a key player for the team, so losing her would surely mean a loss. And, to top it off, this is the league finals, and the team _must_ win if they want to be first place. We knew that the coach was not one for empty threats, and even I respected his words (unless they weren't that serious and were pretty unjust). I could feel the others looking at me worriedly, though whether it was because they were worried for me or worried that I would talk back to the coach or do something, is still a mystery.

I, on the other hand, started to have second thoughts about myself suddenly. Did I seriously went that far? I mean- why didn't they give faults to Stinksen?! Okay, maybe straight up punching her is a little overbroad, but my point still stands, dammit!

''Anger…?" asked Joy softly and I realized that I have been silently staring at my hands.

I shook myself, grunted and turned around before marching up to the sofa.

''Fine, if this is what _Coach Sissy_ wants! Let's see how they fair when the star player is being pushed around like she's worth nothing." I said in irritation, but inside I was scared. I realized that I almost cost Riley's big moment, that she has been preparing for years because I let some kind of punk aggravate me. I know that it is in my nature and that it is my task to not let Riley be treated like that, but still…

I felt awful.

The others, seeing that I stood down, sent me those useless apologetic looks and resumed guiding our girl. I just scoffed, crossed my arms and watched as a much less confident Riley began playing.

* * *

It was the last minutes of the match, and no surprise there: the other team has come up in the score and were one goal away from an equalizer. Riley's performance has noticably dimmed but not enough for the coach to bench her indefinitely. Thankfully, she didn't punch anyone as of yet, though Jensen too has started avoiding her altogether it seemed. Riley herself looked collected outside, but on the inside…

''I'm telling you, Disgust, she needs to stop for a moment and think! ''

''No, what she needs is to push more, finish the game, and _get a shower_."

''But she will be exhausted, and then she would trip and cut herself. Do you seriously want that for her?!"

''No, I want to win just as much as everyone else, but the hockey gear smells like the used stable of a horse, so I think it's high time to score the deciding goal and get out of these filthy clothes."

''Guys, please… stop arguing, already!"

''Riley would be sad if they lost… then the team would hate her and then her friends would hate her and then her parents would too…"

It was chaos, and not the good kind.

Fear and Disgust were currently in the middle of a debate, while Joy was trying to calm them down. Sadness was wailing on the side of the console while I was still sitting on the sofa and watching my dear colleagues _crumble_. I wore an unimpressed face, but in reality, I was really worried too. The victory of the team relied on her, and if the others kept continuing this, that equalizer will come soon, maybe even a loss too.

The end of the match was approaching and Riley's team was being suppressed pretty badly. This last third was mostly spent on our side of the rink, and the smell of an incoming score was in the air.

And, much to all of our horror, the dreaded equalizer came just a minute short from the end of the match.

…

The Headquarters were silent. Suddenly nobody knew what to do. Our team must win, a draw was not enough for the league finals. The beanpole was right, Riley was exhausted. She barely had any power, as she spent most of her energy on keeping the lead. She was panting and sweating, barely able to stand still. Sadly, the rest of her team had made petty, amateur mistakes as well, resulting in the opposing team's comeback. I wanted to strangle them, shout at their uselessness, but I still didn't dare to step up to the console.

Joy desperately tried to keep up the spirit, but she didn't have any idea what to do either. All seemed hopeless, and I couldn't help but blame myself. If only I hadn't lost my temper so badly, Riley could have continued being the aggressive and confident player that she was. She could have ensured that the enemy team didn't come back, so a last-minute goal like this could have meant nothing.

Yet, here we were.

The pluck was in play again, and Riley's team had to take up a defensive stance. Disgust and Fear have long stopped arguing and were both watching the screen worriedly.

''It's over…" murmured Sadness in her usual melancholic voice and I couldn't help but agree.

I wanted to shout at the unfairness of this, I wanted to march up and give a piece of my mind to that Jensen gal, but… what good would that do anymore? Joy remained silent, not finding any positivity in the situation either and watched the View as Riley tried intercepting a pass, without any success whatsoever.

''There is still one more thing…"

Four heads snapped up and looked at Fear in surprise and hope. Even I wanted to hear whatever the bag of nervous energy's idea was, and found it kind of ironic that he was our last hope.

The beanpole, after seeing all those eyes on him, visibly become anxious and began slightly shaking. I almost shouted at him to get on with it as there was not much time, but he seemed to be able to collect himself somehow.

''I think… Anger should come back." he said with a gulp, not wanting to meet my eyes.

That's not what I expected.

''Great, so Riley can go out with a bang." replied Disgust while rolling her eyes.''At least that way, not only will we not win the league, but will be blamed for it too."

I swear to God that times like these, she had a really punchable face.

''I didn't mean it, just…" Beanpole tried to continue, but it seemed that the bravery he hardly managed to collect to speak has escaped him. Joy put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and smiled at him, giving an encouraging nod too. Sadness did the same and I saw Fear visibly relax and return their smiles.

Pfft, Softies.

''I just thought…'' he continued after a deep sigh ''R-Riley hasn't used her adrenaline rush yet, a-and it is our last hope and we need Anger f-for that…" he trailed off and even Disgust was taken aback, as what he just said _was a pretty valid point_.

Without me or Fear, Riley couldn't gain her rush of adrenaline, and at this point, she needed it more than ever.

''That's a great idea Fear!" Joy exclaimed, then turned to me ''Anger? Would you…?"

I saw her hesitating, so she must have noticed my conflicted expression. On one hand, it really did seem like our last piece of hope. On the other, Disgust had a point too, I could possibly ruin everything with one wrong button press.

''Anger… Don't be afraid." I looked up and saw Fear with that small smile on his face and I didn't know whether he was genuine or teasing. But I couldn't deny that his encouraging somehow gave me the power to decide what to do. So with that, I sighed and walked up to the console. I shared a glance with the Beanpole and both of us began working.

Like a magic spell, Riley exhaled loudly and with a new surge power, she pushed herself forward and managed to intercept a pass with relative ease now, making the fans gasp (especially Mom and Dad) and stand up. Riley knew that she had two people behind her, hungry to stop her. So did we, so Fear and I pressed a button together that made Riley push even further beyond. She was rapidly gaining on the opposing goal and I sent Fear a smirk.

''Are you ready?" I asked and he smiled back timidly. As I refocused, Riley prepared for the shot. She selected a corner too and had the perfect angle. We pulled a lever together and watched as she hit the pluck and fly…

…

And it flew…

…barely avoiding the goalie's gloves, into the goal.

The whole Hockey arena erupted in cheers as not only did we score a leading goal, but the match has ended with that too, a Victory for us with a capital V. The team surrounded Riley and hugged her while giving her compliment after compliment. Inside HQ, Joy was jumping around, holding Sadness and Disgust in a hug (for once, the green emotion just let it happen), and was celebrating so loud, I almost got deaf.

Next thing I knew that I was soon part of the hug, and after a short struggling I followed Disgust's example. I was, for once, truly happy too, knowing that I 'redeemed' myself in the end. I managed to get a glimpse of Fear, who avoid Joy's bearhug and sent me a thumbs up. Today, I might just act a little nicer towards him.

Ever since that day, I managed to hold myself down, even when I was enraged. Physical violence, I learned, should always be used last resort, and I managed to keep to it. Thanks to that, I was never afraid anymore that I would make a rash decision and get Riley into another situation like this Hockey final, all thanks to that two-legged anxiety package with a bow-tie.

In the end, only Fear itself could understand my fear of being too Rash.


	5. The Value of Fear

Erm… Hi? I m-mean, Hi! Hi, hi-hello, greetings, good morning. A-and afternoon. A-and night! Good midnight? Is that a thing? _God_ , I hope so. Embarrassing myself is not on my to-do list.

…

It isn't?

…

_sigh_ , figures.

So.

I'm Fear, and I may be the most useless piece of emotion Mother Nature has ever created and I curse her Majesty for even making me. I only harm everything! The mind workers, the memory orbs, the entire mindscape, my friends, the neighbors' dog, mom, dad…

My complete environment. Everything in a 360 degrees…

Wait.

Oh _god_.

…I even put mom and dad behind the neighbor's dog in the listing! If they ever saw me, they would feel so hurt and disappointed _…_ Gosh, How do I mess up talking about messing up?! The neighbors may not even have a dog! We may not even have any neighbors!

And to top it off this problem I have, I mess up Riley's life!

Like, what use does she have for fear? She is the toughest, bravest, most well-liked girl in the entirety of San Francisco, even with me! You know what this means, right? _Right?!_

_I hold her back!_

She could be so much more, even a celebrity if I hadn't been pushing those damn buttons and pull those cursed levers, ' _because my gut told me so!'_ It's like I don't even control my own body. Like, I'm just renting it from an evil dark force, before it takes over and makes the most important thing in my life _suffer_.

…

…Okay, so not suffer per se, she is living a fairly good life all things considered; she has a loving family, loyal friends, an amazing boyfriend, a reputation you should never scoff at, and is one of the biggest promises in hockey. There are also school grades, but they are only sometimes lacking, but what can you do when you are this famous and almost have no time to study.

Point is, she could be so much more. And I hold her back.

…

What do you mean she seems to be doing excellently and I'm just panicking again?! I'm level-headed and calm! You must be when telling _the truth_! If you tell the truth while being anything _but_ calm, you are either lying or not being completely truthful! What reason would you have for not being calm if what you're saying is the truth?

…

What do you mean I'm lying then? Hah! Well, I never! You are talking complete nonsense, it's like you don't even know what's going-

You understood nothing, do you?

_Riiight_ , so err… This tale of mine will be about Riley reaching her teenhood. Along the way the word 'teenhood' somehow got translated into having her 'rebel phase' or whatever grownups are calling it. Riley has been looking for opportunities to be more independent from her parents, which sometimes ends up in a short little quarrel in the family. Combine that with the fact that all three of them are from the stubborn lot, and things can go awry fast. The situation in the HQ isn't dandy either. It's like everyone had a switch that was suddenly pulled up by three levels. Joy has been more than a little enough for an entire year with her all-around delight and jubilation. I _swear_ she is glowing more than she usually does. Anger has been very violent with everything he lent his eyes on, Sadness has been crying so much, her eyes are permanently bloodshot, and Disgust might as well be renamed to Sass-N-Slaps. Every time she opens her mouth, something hurtful or degrading leaves it, and if you dare to talk back to her, she will start slapping you while using her exceptionally sharp nails. It's a miracle Anger and her haven't had an actual fight, though that may be because they are too focused on making sure Riley is being _extra_ famous and is being treated _extra_ fair.

Otherwise, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and what not.

Back to the point, she has been getting more independent, meaning more daring in her everyday life. She has been trying out new things, cool things, exciting things, _dangerous_ things. Which roughly means her not needing the following things: worry, anxiety, hesitance, forethinking, questioning, _fear_.

Now if I listed the things I was 'good' for, you may just not find any difference _at all_.

So whenever I make her (involuntarily I might add) have one of the aforementioned emotions, I have to always watch her being disappointed and angry at herself. _At herself, get it?!_ She is literally being disappointed in herself because of _my_ mishaps, and it makes me feel so bad, that I have to lock myself away daily, so I won't damage my girl's self-esteem.

It sucks…

I just want the best for her, I always wanted. The world is a dangerous place filled with evil lurking around every corner, and it's my job to ensure that she knows what is definitely part of the evils. And now...

Why was I even born?…

* * *

" _FEAR!"_

The loud screech and banging on the door of the room made the purple emotion fall off his chair, the voice recorder soaring through the air and safely landing on the unmade bed. Fear quickly collected himself and made a dash to it, praying that the device has successfully saved the recording. After a quick check, he sighed in relief that everything was okay, the recorder didn't break either.

" _ARE YOU HAVING ONE OF THOSE PSYCHOTIC SESSIONS WHERE YOU TALK TO YOURSELF?! YOU ARE SUCH A SCHIZOPHRENIC WEIRDO!"_

" _Please, Disgust, don't shout, we are in front of his door…_ "

" _I'M SHOUTING WHENEVER I PLEASE, SO IF GRANDMA'S WALKING NEEDLE DOESN'T COME OUT, I SWEAR IM GONNA MAKE ANGER BUST THIS DOOR DOWN."_

Fear, now worrying for the well-being of his door, quickly hid the recorder and dashed towards the door. On the way, he passed his mirror, and couldn't help but notice how bad he looked: His usually neat attire looked worn out, his violet shade has paled and even his always rigid single hair strand was laying at the back of his head, devoid of any signs of wanting to straighten out. He tried fixing his look as much as he could in the short time before Disgust would lose her patience and actually carry out her promise. He put his hand on the doorknob with hesitation, already having ideas of burying himself alive, and opened the door.

It was a long time since he saw any kind of light, being confined in his room and whatnot, so when the illuminated corridor finally came into view, it was like he was looking right into the sun. His vision needed a half a minute or more to get used to the new circumstances, and while that happened, the others probably got through their shock of seeing their friend in such a state. Or at least Fear guessed that's what happened, because the only times Disgust didn't immediately make a comment was when she was speechless, and that only happened when somebody looked unbelievably bad.

She confirmed his thoughts.

"Oh. MyGod. I was just thinking about your hideous door and how much I hate to even look at it, but you make it look appealing. What have you done to yourself _,_ you walking urban postbox _?"_ Disgust exclaimed while taking a step back, yet not removing her eyes from her fellow emotion.

Fear didn't immediately answer, just tried to process that Sadness, Joy, and Disgust were standing in front of his room. Joy was rivaling the corridor lights with her skin as she was actually _bouncing_ in place, Sadness was already tearing up and Disgust gave him the stink eye. The purple emotion concluded that Anger was at the console, making sure that Riley doesn't become emotionally unresponsive. Considering the recent days, it may be the worst idea ever. He, once again, felt his gut telling him to save Riley from danger and wished he was in the safety of his room once again.

"What?" he asked, trying to sound as neutral as possible.

It was the wrong thing to say apparently, as Disgust's eyes immediately narrowed and tried to jump at him right away, had it not been for Sadness and Joy restraining her.

" _WHAT?!_ That's the only thing you can say after you let Riley get hurt?!"

Remember that gut feeling that wanted to do something? Multiple that by ten and add a little panic.

"H-hurt?"

"It wasn't _that_ bad" Joy cut in with an unnaturally beaming smile, while still holding the green emotion back. "It was just an accident, really, Riley is alive and is probably being on her way to the hospital. She will be treated quickly and will be better than ever."

"Isn't that bad?! She hit her head on the concrete so hard, she lost consciousness!" Disgust reprimanded her colleague, then snapped her head back to face the horrified Fear. "And it's because of _you_ that this happened! If you didn't start acting weird and like a loner, she would be fine!"

"Fear couldn't know this would happen…" Sadness whimpered.

"He wouldn't even need to know it if he just did his work and _stayed behind the panel!"_

The emotion in question started to grow antsy. Disgust may be onto something, he might just be schizophrenic after all, as he could swear he felt someone was trying to drag him away and use those scrawny legs of his to sprint right up to the panel.

"How… how did she get hurt?" Fear asked timidly. He didn't know what to really say in this situation, everything Disgust was accusing him was right, but he just simply didn't know how to handle being _unneeded_.

"What do you think?" began Disgust, shrugging off the hands of Joy and Sadness "She was strolling in the park in peace when suddenly, a _building_ collapsedon her."

" _WHAT?!"_

Disgust rolled her eyes and looked absolutely done by her colleague's panic.

"Of course she didn't, you idiot! She had her skater date with Jordan! She tried to do a trick and _literally_ bit the dust. Did you seriously forget what Riley has been planning for an entire _week?!_ "

"To be honest, Fear couldn't have known. He wasn't really around these days." Joy piped up in a sad attempt to save her friend. Sadness was slowly nodding along.

"Yeah and look where it led." Disgust retorted with a scoff.

Suddenly, there was the sound of someone clearing their throat, making all the emotions present turn their heads towards the source. There they saw the fifth emotion, Anger, looking downright murderous. Whether it was because the others left him alone to wait in the dark or because he was just _really_ mad at Fear, it was unknown.

"If you ladiesfinished messin' around and finally drag the purple log with the punchable face out of his den, then come. Girl's awake."

Disgust, Joy, and Sadness immediately straightened up and began running back to the console. Fear didn't know what to do honestly. He still couldn't decide whether Riley needed him, or which is worse: staying in his room while Riley actually needed him or watch Riley emphasize time and time again with subtle and not-so-subtle actions that fear is the last thing she needs in her life.

"You are coming too, and that's final. I hear a single whine, your face won't survive the day."

Thankfully, Anger decided it for him when he forcefully dragged the purple emotion away, who didn't put up much resistance (especially after such comment). He was so desperate for guidance and answers, that he simply let the universe or some other existing or imaginative force decide what now.

They walked in a brisk pace, and soon they entered the main area of the HQ. It was a long time since Fear has seen this place, and he didn't feel like he deserved to look at anything there. Not the furniture, not the memory orbs, not the panel and _especially_ not Riley's eyes. It was gradually becoming harder to not look at things, especially when Anger dragged him right before the panel, and gave him a slap, that effectively made Fear turn his head.

And when those violet eyes found Riley's blurry gaze on the screen, _definitely_ being in a hospital room, he froze.

It was like Anger has slapped him in the face again. They were really in the hospital, and Fear couldn't believe it. All his actions led his most precious thing here, and he was supposed to be her defender, the one thing that told Riley what's dangerous and what is not, the little voice at the back of her head telling her not to do it. He may just be the most cowardly out of every coward out there, and he didn't even try to hide his disappointment in himself or the silent tears that were slowly sliding down his long face. He tried to formulate some kind of reaction, but he just watched sadly how those pale walls become more and more defined as Riley woke up.

While he was watching this, his one of his arm slowly crept up to a small lever and pushed it up, making Riley's heart beat faster, while the other pressed the second of a sequence of 7 buttons, which made Riley slightly fearful and very much vary.

" _Sweetie, are you okay?"_

Mom's voice made Riley turn her head to the side where Dad and she were looking down at her with obvious concern on their faces. They were probably alerted when Riley had shown the first signs of waking up and have been patiently waiting for their girl to show any signs of feeling bad.

" _I…"_ Riley began with a weak voice, but halted and tensed up in pain _"My head hurts…"_

" _You hit your head pretty heard… you will feel like this for some time."_

Fear's hand, that pressed down the second button in the sequence, let go of it and moved onto the third one.

" _I'm scared…"_

These words were like a lightning strike to Fear, and he reacted appropriately by jumping away from the console with his hands hugging himself.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" he didn't know who he was apologizing to, Riley, Mother Nature or to his friends, but he did feel terribly ashamed. He didn't even try messing with her emotions, but he did it anyway. Pathetic, that's what he was, at least in his own opinion

" _There is no reason to be scared honey, It was just a little bruise, there weren't even any doctors involved."_ Mom said with a small smile.

" _A nurse patched you up."_ Dad added with a chuckle, before sensing his daughter's feelings not bettering. He took Riley's hand and asked: _"_ _Why are you scared?"_

" _I don't know… I don't like being scared…"_ Riley stated hesitantly while squeezing Dad's hand. Fear wasn't even that shocked by this statement, he always knew her little girl's opinion on him. It still hurt though, but he took it with a resigned sigh. After that, he shook his head, turned on his heels and begun slowly making his way back to his room. Anger and the others would probably try to stop him, but in his mind; he was done here.

" _Oh, Riley… Being scared is a natural response to the unknown."_

Fear's steps stopped for a second, but he didn't turn around.

" _But… I don't want to feel scared. It makes me feel like I am a coward."_

" _You are not a coward for feeling fear."_ Dad began with a reassuring smile _"_ _An accident happened to you, and you don't know how you got here, how serious your wound is, or what will happen now and that's absolutely fine. People fear what they don't know."_

'' _But why? And how? I don't fear my math homework."_

The family (and the emotions in the HQ) has shared a laugh at the snide. At least, until Riley's headache made her cringe and put her other hand on her forehead.

" _Ow."_

" _Let's tone down the laughs until your head is better, all right?"_ Mom said with an awkward face, before sighing and returning to the original topic. _"_ _You don't fear your math homework because you already know that Math is not dangerous no matter how hard it is. But say, when you first travel by plane, you will always be scared because you have never been on one or so high up in the air."_

" _It's like you had a little person in your head."_

Both Mom and Riley looked at Dad with raised eyebrows, prompting him to explain. After clearing his throat, he began.

" _Imagine that you have a person in your head, telling you what's dangerous and what's not. He's like your own personal guard, in a sense. He will always fear things he doesn't know and wants you to be cautious until he makes sure they are safe."_

" _So… I fear things because… I don't know them? And not because I'm a coward?"_ Riley asked uncertainly. Both parents nodded as an answer.

In the meantime, Fear has been slowly walking back, without removing his eyes from the screen. His eyes were as big as saucers and were focused on those amazing faces of Riley's parents. Could Mom and Dad understand? And could they… make Riley understand?

" _When I made that trick, I didn't feel scared."_ Riley confessed, his eyes beginning to feel heavy again.

" _That might be because…_ " Dad began, while briefly making eye contact with Mom, " _you have been supressing him enough. You have to understand that you only 'feel' fear, it's your decision whether or not you act on it. But if you suppress it enough and always go against him, he may just throw in the towel and quit."_

Riley cracked a smile and rolled her eyes.

_"_ _You are acting like I actually have a person in my head."_

_"_ _Who knows? Maybe you do!"_ Dad retorted, which made Riley giggle a bit.

_"_ _Maybe…"_ She began with a sigh, before her eyes started to become droopy. _"I owe him an apology. And a raise too."_ she said the last sentence amidst a yawn.

" _You will give those after you've slept. We'll be just outside if you need us, alright?"_

Riley nodded slowly as an answer before returning to sleep.

Inside the now dark HQ, Fear was hopeful for once. He didn't know whether Riley finally saw he had no malicious intent towards her, he just wanted her to be safe and alive, but there was hope and he felt it.

"Are you serious right now?!" Disgust suddenly exclaimed, which made Fear realize that his friends were still around, just really silent.

"What's your problem again?!" Anger replied, with the same amount of volume.

"MY problem is that Fear dared thinking Riley didn't need him. How can one be so stupid?!"

"N-needed me?"

"Riley mentioned a couple times that she was fearless…" Sadness said, adding her two cents.

"Even then, Fear is literally the one thing keeping Riley from getting _killed_! How can he even think that Riley doesn't need him?"

"I-I'm…"

"Disgust, I think he gets it." Anger cut in, his words making the air feel tense.

The green emotion was ready to give that red Lego piece a piece of her mind, but she noticed Joy and Sadness giving her those pleading eyes, while Fear looked towards the ground, his posture relaxed. Disgust guessed it was more like a resigned posture. Poor needle probably had a hard enough day as it is.

"…All right, I'm sorry. I'm just…" she sighed before taking up a softer voice. "I guess I'm a little envious. He has such an important job and does it perfectly, and now he acts all confusing and weird. Then turns out he actually thought Riley had no need for him and I was just… I don't know."

"Scandalized?" Joy asked with a smile.

Disgust rolled her eyes. "Yes, that could be the word. I mean, _come on_ Fear, you have the most important job there, and you do it without a hiccup. Without you, Riley wouldn't even be alive."

"Y-you think so?"

"I may not like your scaredy nature," Anger continued, making the tear-eyed Fear turn towards him. "but it's your nature, so I put up with it. And the vomit girl is right, you are doing a fine job overall."

"I completely agree too! No one knows how to handle dangerous situations here as much as you do. Or how to handle failure." Joy added as she appeared next to Fear and gave him a side hug.

"Or how to handle being lost." Sadness added and followed Joy. The yellow emotion beckoned Disgust, who begrudgingly followed.

"Or insecurities, I guess."

Now the three female emotions were looking at Anger expectantly, who growled silently and crossed his arms.

"…You may be good at handling my rashness, I'll give you that. You are still standing, after all."

"Come on you stupid brick, if I had to become part of this, you will too." Disgust said, which made the top of Anger's head heat up and his hands turning into fists. His mouth opened to say something, but Fear's voice stopped him.

"Thank you guys… so much" and then suddenly, all the surrounding emotions suddenly found themselves engulfed in-between two frail arms. Joy and Sadness welcomed it and even reciprocated it.

Disgust on the other hand…

"YOU RELEASE ME RIGHT NOW BEFORE MY CLOTHES GET WRINKLED OR I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL HANG YOU ABOVE THE MEMORY DUMP!"

Fear didn't care, he squeezed even tighter. He finally found the answers he was looking for.


End file.
